Our Story

A note from the Principal

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In Christ,

Dr Laurel Moffatt

Our faculty

  • Dr Laurel Moffatt

    Principal

    A lecturer, teacher, writer and researcher, Dr Laurel Moffatt has spent the last decade combining her research and writing skills with her love of Jesus and the Bible. With a background in tertiary education and more recent experience as the Diocesan Researcher for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, she brings strengths of not just qualifications and experience, but curiosity and grace to lead Mary Andrews College as Principal.

  • Kate has curly auburn hair and is wearing a navy blue top with silver trim. She is smiling to camera, with a park in the background.

    Rev. Kate Snell

    Dean of Students

    BTh, GradDipEd, BBus, currently enrolled in MTh

    Kate has a Bachelor of Theology and is ordained as a Deacon in the Anglican Church. She also has teaching qualifications and has served as a high school teacher and school chaplain. She has also served in Parish ministry and is a member of St Philip's Anglican Church, South Turramurra where her husband Brian is Associate Minister.

  • Rachel Ciano

    Dean of Academic Development

    BTh (Hons) (SMBC/ACT)

    Rachel is a Lecturer in Christianity in History at Sydney Missionary Bible College. Her research focuses on sixteenth-century Reformation history and theology. She is the co-author of 10 Dead Guys You Should Know, and 10 Dead Gals You Should Know. She serves alongside her husband who is the minister at Marrickville Road Church. Rachel brings to the role a passion for seeing women theologically trained and equipped to bring Jesus to their communities.

  • Rev. Dr Keith Condie

    BSc (Psych) (Hons), BTh (2nd Cl Hons), DipTh, MA (Theol), PhD

    Keith teaches some of the units in the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health at Mary Andrews College. Keith and his wife Sarah are Co-Directors of the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute. They attend The Bridge Church. Keith was previously a lecturer and the Dean of Students at Moore Theological College.

  • Kara Martin

    MA(ChrStuds), MCom, BA(Comm)

    Kara Martin is an author and lecturer. She is also on the Advisory Council for the Global Lausanne Movement Workplace Ministry and on the Board of the Karam Fellowship.

    Kara has worked in media and communications, human resources, business analysis and policy development roles in a variety of organisations, and as a consultant. She is researching the variables for effective faith–work integration for workplace Christians.

  • Rev. Margery Mills

    BA, BTh, DipTeaching (Early Childhood), DipMin, MA (Min)

    Marge has been lecturing on the Mary Andrews College faculty since 2005. She and her husband are currently ministering at Denham Court Anglican Church and they have been involved in parish ministry since 1992. Marge also previously worked for Mary Andrews College from 1991-1993.

  • Rev. Di Morgan wears a while broderie blouse and maroon glasses. She has dark grey hair, cut short and is smiling to camera.

    Rev. Di Morgan

    BComm, BTh, GradCertProfSupervision(Pastoral)

    Di lectures at Mary Andrews College in pastoral ministry units. She has been on the faculty for 8 years, after 22 years in church ministry. Di also meets with individuals for professional pastoral supervision and mentoring, and regularly runs spiritual retreats.

  • Karen wears a black and white floral shirt and purple glasses. Her dark brown hair is cut short and she is smiling at the camera. The background is softly blurred.

    Karen Ray

    BEcon, CertTheol, GradDipCouns, GradCertProfSupervision (Pastoral), GradCertProfSupervision (Practicuum), DipTh

    Karen teaches Applied Pastoral Care and Pastoral Evangelism at Mary Andrews College. Karen also works as a Counsellor and as a Professional Pastoral Supervisor. Previously Karen practised as a Chartered Accountant for 21 years. Karen serves in pastoral and administrative capacities in the ministry team of Christ Church Mortdale, where she attends with her husband Stuart.

  • Betsy Rodgers

    MA, LMHC

    Betsy Rodgers is the Assistant Pastor, Wellbeing & Care, at The Bridge Church in Kirribilli where she is responsible for the Wellbeing & Care Ministry and the creation and promotion of a ‘culture of care’ throughout the church community. She is also a counsellor in private practice.

  • Dr Nicole Starling has dark brown hair, styled in a bob and is wearing a black top. The photo shows her smiling to camera, standing on a balcony at Mary Andrews College

    Dr Nicole Starling

    BA / LLB (Hons), MA(CS), MRes, PhD

    Nicole has lectured on Christian History since 2014 and her published research includes articles on evangelical history, the temperance movement, and the ministry of women in early colonial Australia. She has worked in paid and unpaid Christian ministry in a variety of contexts for the past 25 years.

  • Kamina Wüst

    PhD

    Kamina Wust is an author, speaker and lecturer. Kamina has a PhD in Biblical Studies (Old Testament) on the Song of Songs and is passionate about Old Testament Wisdom, sex, love, passion and related topics. She lectures at Queensland Theological College, Moore Theological College, Ridley College, Trinity College Queensland and Mary Andrews College teaching Old Testament topics and Biblical Hebrew. Before she studied the Bible, she studied theatre and music.

Our Staff

  • Sarah has long light brown hair, with a fringe, tied back off her face. She is wearing a red dress and taupe cardigan. She is smiling at the camera and wears glasses.

    Sarah Barry

    College Registrar

    As College Registrar, Sarah is responsible for the administration of our courses. Sarah has been with Mary Andrews College since 1995 and Registrar from 2008.

  • Erin Elton

    Library Staff

    Erin works in the library maintaining both the physical and eBook collections. She is also on hand to assist students with borrowing and referencing enquiries.

  • Grace Gayden

    Programs Administrator

    Grace is your main contact at Mary Andrews College, bridging communication between students and staff, handling all inquiries, and ensuring smooth operation of our systems. Additionally, she manages the Mary Andrews College Moodle.

  • Mel Hanger

    Program Administrator

    Creating an environment where students can flourish and study well is a priority for Mary Andrews. Mel contributes to this endeavour through developing and improving vital systems and processes. Mel welcomes your feedback and loves generally encouraging students during their time here.

  • Lauren is smiling and her blonde hair is pulled back from her face. She wears gold jewellery, an emerald green top and a black blazer. She is seated against a white background.

    Lauren Miller

    Office Assistant

    Lauren is our Office Assistant, and assists in general tasks around the college.

Our History

Mary Andrews College is unique as the only Bible college in Australia founded to equip women for ministry, a mission begun in 1891.

Mary Andrews College is thankful for a history of over 120 years of equipping women to serve Christ through unique, flexible lay training.

In 1885, the Sydney Anglican Diocesan Synod passed ‘a resolution in favour of deaconess work’*. The first Australian ordination of an overseas-trained deaconess was in Sydney in 1886. There were five deaconesses at work in Sydney before the idea of operating a training home took shape.*

The Rev. Mervyn Archdall and his wife Martha were the founders of the Deaconess Institution ministry in Australia, which was modelled on similar work in Germany and England. On 17 August 1891, the deaconess training school ‘Bethany’ opened in Balmain.

The ministry of deaconesses was an international movement that began in the 19th century to foster the Christian ministry of women to the sick and needy. Florence Nightingale was particularly influential in bringing the deaconess movement to England from Germany, where the diaconate of women had been revived by Pastor Theodore Fliedner.

Deaconesses in Sydney worked in parishes – visiting people in their homes, visiting and nursing the sick, teaching at Sunday Schools and Scripture in schools and conducting evangelistic meetings, amongst other activities. They also travelled to regional areas, and overseas, as missionaries.

Other works were begun in addition to the training of deaconesses including the founding of hospitals and palliative care homes.

Deaconess House 1964 group photo

Rev. Mervyn Archdall

Deaconess House

The needs of the expanding work resulted in the purchase and consecration of 28 Carillon Avenue, Newtown, on 6 December, 1916. This became the headquarters of the Deaconess Institution (now ADM), a residential hall and training institution for female ministry trainees. Various renovations were made to Deaconess House over the years, to improve living arrangements for the ever-increasing number of students.

In the 1970s, female students began to enrol in the Bachelor of Theology offered by Moore Theological College (MTC), next door to Deaconess House.

Rev. Narelle Jarrett

An evolving mission

In 1985, Narelle Jarrett was appointed Principal at Deaconess House. As Principal, she had primary responsibility for a ministry training program for women enrolled at Moore Theological College, to address the special pastoral needs of female students. A variety of other programs were run under Narelle’s leadership, including ministering to the university students living at Deaconess House, part-time Bible courses for lay women in Sydney, and an annual women’s conference. Narelle’s vision was key in Mary Andrews College beginning to offer the Australian College of Theology’s Diploma courses, in which women could study part-time, during the day, in term time - a radical concept for that era. This was the beginning of the courses we offer at Mary Andrews College today.

In 1989 the clerical role of deacon was opened up to women. The last deaconesses to be ordained in Sydney occurred in 1991. While Mary Andrews College was no longer responsible for the training of Deaconesses, its mission evolved to that of equipping all women for ministry, both formal and paid, and informal and voluntary.

Our name changes to Mary Andrews College

A joint enrolment agreement was introduced between Deaconess House and Moore Theological College in 1993. In 1997, Narelle Jarrett saw the need to change the name of Deaconess House. It became Mary Andrews College in recognition of the outstanding life-long work of Deaconess Mary Andrews, who died the previous year. Ten years later, a formal partnership agreement between the Anglican Deaconess Institution Sydney Limited and Moore Theological College saw degree-based theological education of women students pass fully to Moore.

Mary Andrews College moved from Newtown to Stanmore at the end of 2007, focusing on teaching the Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas in Theology and Ministry.

In December 2009 Mary Andrews College moved again. This latest move from Stanmore to St Andrew’s House in Sydney Square now sees the College well located in modern premises for our main teaching centre, library and staff offices.

What We Believe

Mary Andrews College is an evangelical theological college with an Anglican heritage. We warmly welcome Christians from other denominations to study with us.

As an evangelical Anglican College, Mary Andrews College holds to the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, including:

  • The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;

  • The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead;

  • The universal sinfulness and guilt of humanity since the fall, rendering men and women subject to God’s wrath and condemnation;

  • The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and his birth by the virgin Mary;

  • Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin only through the sacrificial death – as our representative and substitute – of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God;

  • The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;

  • The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Jesus effective in the individual sinner, granting him or her repentance towards God, and faith in Jesus Christ;

  • The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer;

  • The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary Andrews College warmly welcomes Christians from other denominations to study with us.

Anyone wishing to study with us at Mary Andrews College will need to sign a MAC Code of Conduct agreement. Before applying to study we Mary Andrews College, we would encourage you to read this Code of Conduct to ensure you are familiar with our expectations for belief and behaviour at Mary Andrews College.